Around Deltebre, the rice fields create a mosaic of water and mud. The river meanders between canals and banks, and the Delta's light floods everything with a metallic sheen. It is in one of these wetlands that a unique rice variety is born: the only long-grain, aromatic rice cultivated in the Ebro Delta, known as Essència del Delta. It is grown, managed, and marketed by the Women Rice Growers of the Ebro Delta, a cooperative of five women who have made the land their livelihood. The result is a fine, fluffy, and versatile rice—perfect for salads, stir-fries, and celebratory rice dishes—but also a product imbued with values: respect for the environment, a deep connection to the land, pride in being women who preserve the craft, and the dedication that rice cultivation entails.

Today we're going to a unique place in Catalonia, because it's located in the middle of the sea. You might be wondering what we're doing and how we got there. Just wait and see. First, we need to know that this is where knowledge comes together, as you'll learn about aquaculture, the privilege of enjoying the natural treasure that is the Ebro Delta, and, in addition, you can eat oysters, mussels, and sip a glass of good bubbles. If you've been there, you'll have already guessed we're talking about the MusclariumThis structure is located on the sea, in the Bay of Alfacs, and you must take a boat from Sant Carles de la Ràpita to get there. There are sea taxis that take you there perfectly, but if you take one of the bookable experiences, transportation is already included. Alternatively, you may have your own boat, in which case you can go on your own.

Deltebre Danza is the fruit of an unconscious mindset. We were younger, we had enthusiasm, and above all, we were crazy. Around 800 artists, almost 300 shows, 100,000 spectators, 2,500 dance students, and a hundred teachers. The citizens of Deltebre have finally embraced it," explains Tortosa dancer and choreographer Roberto Olivan, director of the festival.

Adding the blue crab to rice, fish broths and other culinary recipes has helped combat the plague that threatens the ecosystems in the Ebro Delta. The years-long war against this crustacean fishermen have been waging may have found a new ally. Tests carried out by researchers at the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroaliamentàries (IRTA) have shown that octopuses are natural predators of the blue crab, which they are capable of eating in large quantities if necessary: "A single octopus can eat up to 33% of its weight in crab meat in a single day", explains project coordinator Patrícia Prado.

If there is somewhere close where we can already see the effects of the climate crisis it is the Ebro delta. It is like watching the sea level rise at an accelerated rate, not because the water is rising more than in other coastal areas, but because, in parallel, the Delta is sinking (due to the phenomenon known as subsidence) and the coastline is retreating due to the lack of sediments that reach it. "In the Delta we are experiencing what our beaches will suffer in 2050 or 2070, and this makes it an excellent natural laboratory in which to test solutions," explains UPC professor and director of the Maritime Engineering Laboratory, Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla.